Soil conditioner compositions containing lignocellulosic biomass fermentation process syrup

ABSTRACT

Syrup produced in a lignocellulosic biomass fermentation process is used as a binder for soil conditioning materials to make an agricultural composition that is easily handled and applied. The syrup binds powdery soil conditioning materials such as lime and gypsum to form pellets or granules.

This application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Application 62/000,639, filed May 20, 2014 and application 61/889,061 filed Oct. 10, 2013, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of soil conditioners. More specifically, a lignocellulosic syrup is used as a binder in compositions with agricultural application. The lignocellulosic syrup is a co-product of a lignocellulosic biomass fermentation process

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Soil conditioners are used to improve the quality of soil for improved plant growth and yield. It is desired that a soil conditioner be applied in a state that is readily dispersed to the soil. Thus active ingredients of soil conditioners are typically in a finely ground or powdery form. The conditioning ingredients are typically combined with a binder to form pellets for ease of handling, transportation, and dispersion to application sites.

Examples of soil conditioners include lime which contains calcium carbonate and other minerals including magnesium, and gypsum which is hydrated calcium sulfate. Lime reduces soil acidity which improves plant growth. Gypsum improves soil drainage and promotes plant growth.

An example of a binder that is combined with soil conditioners is lignosulfonate (or lignosulfate; sulfonated lignin). Lignosulfonate is a by-product of the sulfite method for manufacturing paper from wood pulp. During this process, lignin in wood is separated from cellulose and is sulfonated. The resulting sulfonated lignin by-product is an effective binder for powdery substances. WO201426048 discloses a method for producing a fertilizer wherein pellets of gypsum and a binder, such as lignosulfonate, are made. US20140030369 discloses soil amendment compositions containing lignosulfonate.

In a cellulosic ethanol process which makes use of lignocellulosic biomass as a carbon source for fermentation, whole stillage from a distillation column (beer column) is typically separated into solids (wetcake or filter cake) and liquid (thin stillage) fractions. The thin stillage is passed through evaporators producing a syrup. The filter cake and syrup are co-products of the cellulosic ethanol process. A syrup with at least about 40% solids may be burned as disclosed in US20120102823, thereby providing energy. The filter cake may also be burned to provide energy.

There remains a need for additional materials that are readily available from renewable resources, which can be used as binders in soil conditioners.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an agricultural composition that is a combination of syrup produced from a fermentation process that initially utilizes lignocellulosic biomass and at least one soil conditioning material. The syrup of the invention is similar in physical properties to the lignosulfonate materials described above but does not require sulfonation and is produced from a process that is environmentally friendly.

Accordingly, the invention provides an agricultural composition comprising:

a) a lignocellulosic syrup; and

b) at least one soil conditioning material.

In one embodiment the syrup is a co-product of a process for the production of alcohol from a lignocellulosic biomass.

In another embodiment the syrup comprises:

a) from about 40% to about 70% solids;

b) from about 10 g/l to about 30 g/l of acetamide; and

c) at least about 40 g/l of sugars;

wherein the cellulosic syrup has a density of about 1 to about 2 g/cm3 and a viscosity of less than 500 SSU at 100° F. (38° C.).

In another aspect, the invention provides a process for the production of an agricultural composition comprising combining the lignocellulosic syrup with at least one soil conditioning material, wherein pellets or granules comprising the syrup and the conditioning material are produced.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides a method for conditioning soil comprising applying an agricultural composition which is described above to the soil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To be highly effective, a soil conditioning material is typically prepared as a powdery substance that can disperse and penetrate in the soil to which it is applied. However, for ease of handling and application, the powdery substance is combined with a binder to form pellets or granules. A syrup produced from a fermentation process that uses lignocellulosic biomass may be used as a binder for powdery soil conditioning materials.

The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used for the interpretation of the claims and the specification.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having,” “contains” or “containing,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a composition, a mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

The indefinite articles “a” and “an” preceding an element or component of the invention are intended to be nonrestrictive regarding the number of instances (i.e. occurrences) of the element or component. Therefore “a” or “an” should be read to include one or at least one, and the singular word form of the element or component also includes the plural unless the number is obviously meant to be singular.

The term “invention” or “present invention” as used herein is a non-limiting term and is not intended to refer to any single embodiment of the particular invention but encompasses all possible embodiments as described in the specification and the claims.

As used herein, the term “about” modifying the quantity of an ingredient or reactant of the invention employed refers to variation in the numerical quantity that can occur, for example, through typical measuring and liquid handling procedures used for making concentrates or use solutions in the real world; through inadvertent error in these procedures; through differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of the ingredients employed to make the compositions or carry out the methods; and the like. The term “about” also encompasses amounts that differ due to different equilibrium conditions for a composition resulting from a particular initial mixture. Whether or not modified by the term “about”, the claims include equivalents to the quantities. In one embodiment, the term “about” means within 10% of the reported numerical value, preferably within 5% of the reported numerical value.

The term “fermentable sugar” refers to oligosaccharides and monosaccharides that can be used as a carbon source by a microorganism in a fermentation process.

The term “lignocellulosic” refers to a composition comprising both lignin and cellulose. Lignocellulosic material may also comprise hemicellulose.

The term “cellulosic” refers to a composition comprising cellulose and additional components, including hemicellulose.

The term “saccharification” refers to the production of fermentable sugars from polysaccharides.

The term “pretreated biomass” means biomass that has been subjected to pretreatment prior to saccharification. The pretreatment may take the form of physical, thermal or chemical means and combinations thereof.

The term “butanol” refers to isobutanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, or combinations thereof.

The term “lignocellulosic biomass” refers to any lignocellulosic material and includes materials comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, starch, oligosaccharides and/or monosaccharides. Biomass may also comprise additional components, such as protein and/or lipid. Biomass may be derived from a single source, or biomass can comprise a mixture derived from more than one source; for example, biomass could comprise a mixture of corn cobs and corn stover, or a mixture of grass and leaves. Lignocellulosic biomass includes, but is not limited to, bioenergy crops, agricultural residues, municipal solid waste, industrial solid waste, sludge from paper manufacture, yard waste, wood and forestry waste. Examples of biomass include, but are not limited to, corn cobs, crop residues such as corn husks, corn stover, grasses (including Miscanthus), wheat straw, barley straw, hay, rice straw, switchgrass, waste paper, sugar cane bagasse, sorghum plant material, soybean plant material, components obtained from milling of grains or from using grains in production processes (such as DDGS: dried distillers grains with solubles), woody material such as trees, branches, roots, wood chips, sawdust, shrubs and bushes, leaves, vegetables, fruits, flowers, empty palm fruit bunch, and energy cane.

The term “energy cane” refers to sugar cane that is bred for use in energy production. It is selected for a higher percentage of fiber than sugar.

The term “lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate” refers to the product resulting from saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass. The biomass may also be pretreated or pre-processed prior to saccharification.

The term “lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate fermentation broth” is broth containing product resulting from biocatalyst growth and production in a medium comprising lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate. This broth includes components of lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate that are not consumed by the biocatalyst, as well as the biocatalyst itself and product made by the biocatalyst.

The term “slurry” refers to a mixture of insoluble material and a liquid. A slurry may also contain a high level of dissolved solids. Examples of slurries include a saccharification broth, a fermentation broth, and a stillage.

The term “whole stillage” refers to the bottoms of a distillation. The whole stillage contains the high boilers and any solids of a distillation feed stream. Whole stillage is a type of depleted broth.

The term “thin stillage” refers to a liquid fraction resulting from solid/liquid separation of a whole stillage, fermentation broth, or product depleted fermentation broth.

The term “syrup” means a concentrated product produced from the removal of water, generally by evaporation, from thin stillage.

The term “target product” refers to any product that is produced by a microbial production host cell in a fermentation. Target products may be the result of genetically engineered enzymatic pathways in host cells or may be produced by endogenous pathways. Typical target products include but are not limited to acids, alcohols, alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, aldehydes, ketones, biopolymers, proteins, peptides, amino acids, vitamins, antibiotics, and pharmaceuticals.

The term “fermentation” refers broadly to the use of a biocatalyst to produce a target product. Typically the biocatalyst grows in a fermentation broth utilizing a carbon source in the broth, and through its metabolism produces a target product.

“Solids” refers to soluble solids and insoluble solids. Solids from a lignocellulosic fermentation process contain residue from the lignocellulosic biomass used to make hydrolysate medium.

“Volatiles” refers herein to components that will largely be vaporized in a process where heat is introduced. Volatile content is measured herein by establishing the loss in weight resulting from heating under rigidly controlled conditions to 950° C. (as in ASTM D-3175). Typical volatiles include, but are not limited to, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, acetic acid, and some carbon and sulfur.

“Fixed carbon” refers herein to a calculated percentage made by summing the percent of moisture, percent of ash, and percent of volatile matter, and then subtracting that percent from 100.

“Ash” is the weight of the residue remaining after burning under controlled conditions according to ASTM D-3174.

“Sugars” as referred to in the lignocellulosic syrup composition means a total of monosaccharide and soluble oligosaccharides.

“Soil conditioning material” refers herein to a substance that improves the physical qualities of soil, which may include the ability to provide nutrition for plants.

The present agricultural composition contains a lignocellulosic syrup and at least one soil conditioning material.

Production and Composition of Lignocellulosic Syrup

The present lignocellulosic syrup is produced as a co-product from a process that uses lignocellulosic biomass as a source of fermentable sugars which are used as a carbon source for a biocatalyst. The biocatalyst uses the sugars in a fermentation process to produce a target product.

To produce fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass, the biomass is treated to release sugars such as glucose, xylose, and arabinose from the polysaccharides of the biomass. Lignocellulosic biomass may be treated by any method known by one skilled in the art to produce fermentable sugars in a hydrolysate. Typically the biomass is pretreated using physical, thermal and/or chemical treatments, and saccharified enzymatically. Thermo-chemical pretreatment methods include steam explosion or methods of swelling the biomass to release sugars (see for example WO2010113129; WO2010113130). Chemical saccharification may also be used. Physical treatments for pre-processing the biomass include, but are not limited to, grinding, milling, and cutting. Physical treatments such as these may be used for particle size reduction prior to further chemical treatment. Chemical treatments include base treatment such as with strong base (ammonia or NaOH), or acid treatment (US8545633; WO2012103220). In one embodiment the biomass is treated with ammonia (U.S. Pat. No. 7,932,063; U.S. Pat. No. 7,781,191; U.S. Pat. No. 7,998,713; U.S. Pat. No. 7,915,017). These treatments release polymeric sugars from the biomass. Particularly useful is a low ammonia pretreatment where biomass is contacted with an aqueous solution comprising ammonia to form a biomass-aqueous ammonia mixture where the ammonia concentration is sufficient to maintain alkaline pH of the biomass-aqueous ammonia mixture but is less than about 12 weight percent relative to dry weight of biomass, and where dry weight of biomass is at least about 15 weight percent solids relative to the weight of the biomass-aqueous ammonia mixture, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,932,063, which is herein incorporated by reference.

Saccharification, which converts polymeric sugars to monomeric sugars, may be either by enzymatic or chemical treatments. In one aspect, the pretreated biomass is contacted with a saccharification enzyme consortium under suitable conditions to produce fermentable sugars. Prior to saccharification, the pretreated biomass may be brought to the desired moisture content and treated to alter the pH, composition or temperature such that the enzymes of the saccharification enzyme consortium will be active. The pH may be altered through the addition of acids in solid or liquid form. Alternatively, carbon dioxide (CO₂), which may be recovered from fermentation, may be utilized to lower the pH. For example, CO₂ may be collected from a fermenter and fed into the pretreatment product headspace in the flash tank or bubbled through the pretreated biomass if adequate liquid is present while monitoring the pH, until the desired pH is achieved. The temperature is brought to a temperature that is compatible with saccharification enzyme activity, as noted below. Typically suitable conditions may include temperature between about 40° C. and 50° C. and pH between about 4.8 and 5.8.

Enzymatic saccharification of cellulosic or lignocellulosic biomass typically makes use of an enzyme composition or blend to break down cellulose and/or hemicellulose and to produce a hydrolysate containing sugars such as, for example, glucose, xylose, and arabinose. Saccharification enzymes are reviewed in Lynd, L. R., et al. (Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev., 66:506-577, 2002). At least one enzyme is used, and typically a saccharification enzyme blend is used that includes one or more glycosidases. Glycosidases hydrolyze the ether linkages of di-, oligo-, and polysaccharides and are found in the enzyme classification EC 3.2.1.x (Enzyme Nomenclature 1992, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. with Supplement 1 (1993), Supplement 2 (1994), Supplement 3 (1995, Supplement 4 (1997) and Supplement 5 [in Eur. J. Biochem., 223:1-5, 1994; Eur. J. Biochem., 232:1-6, 1995; Eur. J. Biochem., 237:1-5, 1996; Eur. J. Biochem., 250:1-6, 1997; and Eur. J. Biochem., 264:610-650 1999, respectively]) of the general group “hydrolases” (EC 3.). Glycosidases useful in saccharification can be categorized by the biomass components they hydrolyze. Glycosidases useful in saccharification may include cellulose-hydrolyzing glycosidases (for example, cellulases, endoglucanases, exoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases, β-glucosidases), hemicellulose-hydrolyzing glycosidases (for example, xylanases, endoxylanases, exoxylanases, β-xylosidases, arabino-xylanases, mannases, galactases, pectinases, glucuronidases), and starch-hydrolyzing glycosidases (for example, amylases, α-amylases, β-amylases, glucoamylases, α-glucosidases, isoamylases). In addition, it may be useful to add other activities to the saccharification enzyme consortium such as peptidases (EC 3.4.x.y), lipases (EC 3.1.1.x and 3.1.4.x), ligninases (EC 1.11.1.x), or feruloyl esterases (EC 3.1.1.73) to promote the release of polysaccharides from other components of the biomass. It is known in the art that microorganisms that produce polysaccharide-hydrolyzing enzymes often exhibit an activity, such as a capacity to degrade cellulose, which is catalyzed by several enzymes or a group of enzymes having different substrate specificities. Thus, a “cellulase” from a microorganism may comprise a group of enzymes, one or more or all of which may contribute to the cellulose-degrading activity. Commercial or non-commercial enzyme preparations, such as cellulase, may comprise numerous enzymes depending on the purification scheme utilized to obtain the enzyme. Many glycosyl hydrolase enzymes and compositions thereof that are useful for saccharification are disclosed in WO 2011/038019. Additional enzymes for saccharification include, for example, glycosyl hydrolases that hydrolyze the glycosidic bond between two or more carbohydrates, or between a carbohydrate and a noncarbohydrate moiety.

Saccharification enzymes may be obtained commercially. Such enzymes include, for example, Spezyme® CP cellulase, Multifect® xylanase, Accelerase® 1500, Accellerase® DUET, and Accellerase® Trio™ (Dupont™/Genencor®, Wilmington, Del.), and Novozyme-188 (Novozymes, 2880 Bagsvaerd, Denmark). In addition, saccharification enzymes may be unpurified and provided as a cell extract or a whole cell preparation. The enzymes may be produced using recombinant microorganisms that have been engineered to express one or more saccharifying enzymes. For example, an H3A protein preparation that may be used for saccharification of pretreated cellulosic biomass is an unpurified preparation of enzymes produced by a genetically engineered strain of Trichoderma reesei, which includes a combination of cellulases and hemicellulases and is described in WO 2011/038019, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Chemical saccharification treatments may be used and are known to one skilled in the art, such as treatment with mineral acids including HCl and H₂SO₄ (U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,389; WO2011002660).

Sugars such as glucose, xylose and arabinose are released by saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass and these monomeric sugars provide a carbohydrate source for a biocatalyst used in a fermentation process. The sugars are present in a biomass hydrolysate that is used as fermentation medium. The fermentation medium may be composed solely of hydrolysate, or may include components additional to the hydrolysate such as sorbitol or mannitol at a final concentration of about 5 mM as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,629,156, which is incorporated herein by reference. The biomass hydrolysate typically makes up at least about 50% of the fermentation medium. Typically about 10% of the final volume of fermentation broth is seed inoculum containing the biocatalyst.

The medium comprising hydrolysate is fermented in a fermenter, which is any vessel that holds the hydrolysate fermentation medium and at least one biocatalyst, and has valves, vents, and/or ports used in managing the fermentation process.

Any biocatalyst that produces a target product utilizing glucose and preferably also xylose, either naturally or through genetic engineering, may be used for fermentation of the fermentable sugars in the biomass hydrolysate made from lignocellulosic biomass. Target products that may be produced by fermentation include, for example, acids, alcohols, alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, aldehydes, ketones, biopolymers, proteins, peptides, amino acids, vitamins, antibiotics, and pharmaceuticals. Alcohols include, but are not limited to methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, ethylene glycol, propanediol, butanediol, glycerol, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, and sorbitol. Acids may include acetic acid, formic acid, lactic acid, propionic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, butyric acid, gluconic acid, itaconic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, 3-hydroxyproprionic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, and levulinic acid. Amino acids may include glutamic acid, aspartic acid, methionine, lysine, glycine, arginine, threonine, phenylalanine and tyrosine. Additional target products include methane, ethylene, acetone and industrial enzymes.

The fermentation of sugars in biomass hydrolysate to target products may be carried out by one or more appropriate biocatalysts, that are able to grow in medium containing biomass hydrolysate, in single or multistep fermentations. Biocatalysts may be microorganisms selected from bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeast. Biocatalysts may be wild type microorganisms or recombinant microorganisms, and may include, for example, organisms belonging to the genera of Escherichia, Zymomonas, Saccharomyces, Candida, Pichia, Streptomyces, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, and Clostridiuma. Typical examples of biocatalysts include recombinant Escherichia coli, Zymomonas mobilis, Bacillus stearothermophilus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Clostridia thermocellum, Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum, and Pichia stipitis. To grow well and have high product production in a lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate fermentation broth, a biocatalyst may be selected or engineered to have higher tolerance to inhibitors present in biomass hydrolysate such as acetate. For example, the biocatalyst may produce ethanol as a target product, such as production of ethanol by Zymomonas mobilis as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,247,208, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Fermentation is carried out with conditions appropriate for the particular biocatalyst used. Adjustments may be made for conditions such as pH, temperature, oxygen content, and mixing. Conditions for fermentation of yeast and bacterial biocatalysts are well known in the art.

In addition, saccharification and fermentation may occur at the same time in the same vessel, called simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). In addition, partial saccharification may occur prior to a period of concurrent saccharification and fermentation in a process called HSF (hybrid saccharification and fermentation).

For large scale fermentations, typically a smaller culture of the biocatalyst is first grown, which is called a seed culture. The seed culture is added to the fermentation medium as an inoculum typically in the range from about 2% to about 20% of the final volume.

Typically fermentation by the biocatalyst produces a fermentation broth containing the target product made by the biocatalyst. For example, in an ethanol process the fermentation broth may be a beer containing from about 6% to about 10% ethanol. In addition to target product, the fermentation broth contains water, solutes, and solids from the hydrolysate medium and from biocatalyst metabolism of sugars in the hydrolysate medium. Typically the target product is isolated from the fermentation broth producing a depleted broth, which may be called whole stillage. For example, when ethanol is the product, the broth is distilled, typically using a beer column, to generate an ethanol product stream and a whole stillage. Distillation may be using any conditions known to one skilled in the art including at atmospheric or reduced pressure. The distilled ethanol is further passed through a rectification column and molecular sieve to recover an ethanol product. The target product may alternatively be removed in a later step such as from a solid or liquid fraction after separation of fermentation broth.

The syrup co-product of a lignocellulosic biomass fermentation process is produced from the fermentation broth or depleted fermentation broth. An example of syrup production is disclosed in US20120102823, which is incorporated herein by reference. The broth or depleted broth, such as whole stillage, is separated into solid and liquid streams, where the liquid stream is called thin stillage. Various filtration devices may be used such as a belt filter, belt press, screw press, drum filter, disc filter, Nutsche filter, filter press or filtering centrifuge. Filtration may be aided such as by application of vacuum, pressure, or centrifugal force. To improve efficiency of filtration, a heat treatment may be used as disclosed in commonly owned and co-pending US20120178976, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Following liquid/solid separation of a lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate fermentation broth or depleted broth, the solids fraction, or filter cake (also called wetcake), may be burned to supply energy to the production process. The filter cake may be dried prior to burning, such as by air drying, to reduce moisture.

A product stream may be removed following liquid/solid filtration of a lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate fermentation broth. For example, the liquid stream may be extracted or distilled to generate a product stream, such as distillation to produce an ethanol product stream and a remaining liquid.

The liquid fraction is further purified by evaporation producing water that may be recycled and a syrup. Prior to evaporation, a portion of the liquid fraction may be recycled for use as back set, which may be added at any point in the process where water is needed, such as in pretreatment, saccharification, or biocatalyst seed production. Evaporation may be in any evaporation system, such as falling film, rising film, forced circulation, plate or mechanical and thermal vapor recompression systems. Evaporation may be continuous or batch and may use a multi-effect evaporator. The evaporated water may be recycled in the overall lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate fermentation process.

The remaining material after evaporation is a syrup which is the present lignocellulosic syrup. In one embodiment the lignocellulosic syrup composition contains from about 40% to about 60% solids or from about 40% to about 70% solids (may have about 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, or 70% solids), from about 10 g/l to 30 g/l of acetamide, at least about 40 g/l of sugars, a density of about 1 to about 2 g/cm³, and viscosity less than 500 SSU at 100° F. (38° C.). “SSU” is Saybolt Universal Viscosity in Seconds (Burger V L., Encycl. Ind. Chem. Anal. (1966), Volume 3, 768-74). The extent of evaporation may be modulated to achieve the desired solids content. When the pretreatment process used to prepare the biomass for saccharification is a process that uses ammonia, the lignocellulosic syrup contains at least about 5 g/l of ammonia.

Soil Conditioning Material

A soil conditioning material is combined with the present lignocellulosic syrup to produce the present agricultural composition. A soil conditioning material is a substance that when applied to soil, improves the properties of the soil such that at least one of plant growth and yield are increased. Soil properties that may be improved include, but are not limited to, pH, drainage, providing plant nutrients, soil structure, cation exchange capacity, and water retention. Any soil conditioning material that is mixable may be used in the present invention. Typically the soil conditioning material used is a material that is particulate, and is powdery, dusty, or granular. In one embodiment the soil conditioning material is in the form of a powder.

In various embodiments the additional fuel component is lime or gypsum. Lime that is used for soil application is typically crushed or ground limestone which is made of calcium carbonate. Chalk is a form of limestone that is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock. Dolomitic lime is a type of lime that contains calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Lime is alkaline and is used to neutralize acidity of soil and add calcium, and may add magnesium (if using dolomitic lime). Gypsum is hydrated calcium sulfate. Gypsum removes sodium from soil and replaces it with calcium thereby reducing salinity of soil, and chemically loosens clay soil by competing with salt in the clay thereby improving drainage and plant root growth.

Agricultural Composition

The present agricultural composition contains the lignocellulosic syrup described herein and a soil conditioning material, as described above. The lignocellulosic syrup and soil conditioning material are combined in amounts wherein the syrup acts as a binder of the soil conditioning material, which is typically crushed or powdered. In various embodiments the syrup is between about 2% and about 20% by weight of the final combination of syrup and soil conditioning material. The syrup may be about 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, or 20% of the total combined weight. In various embodiments the syrup is between about 2% and 20%, or between about 2% and 10%, of the final composition of syrup and soil conditioning material, and the soil conditioning material is lime, gypsum, or a combination thereof.

In the present process for producing an agricultural composition, the lignocellulosic syrup and soil conditioning material are combined in a ratio that is between about 1:50 and about 1:5. The ratio of the lignocellulosic syrup and soil conditioning material may be between about 1:50 and 1:6.7, or between about 1:50 and 1:10. The combination of lignocellulosic syrup and soil conditioning material forms into a conveniently handled solid material. Various shapes may be formed such as pellets, granules, irregular shapes, and the like. In one embodiment the syrup is sprayed over the soil conditioning material in a rotating drum as it rotates. In one embodiment the lignocellulosic syrup and soil conditioning material composition is dried. Alternative processing may include treatments such as heating, compressing, extruding, pelleting, molding, and/or drying.

Use Of Agricultural Composition

The present agricultural composition is applied to soil by any method known to one skilled in the art. For example, the agricultural composition may be applied by spreading using a conventional fertilizer spreader of any size, such as for lawn care or for agricultural fields. The agricultural composition may be tilled into the soil prior to planting, applied after planting, and/or applied periodically during the growing season. Typically soil testing is performed prior to application to determine the specific type and amount of agricultural composition to be applied to soil.

EXAMPLES

The present invention is further defined in the following Examples. It should be understood that these Examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only. From the above discussion and these Examples, one skilled in the art can ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention, and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various uses and conditions.

The meaning of abbreviations used is as follows: “s” is second, “min” means minute(s), “h” of “hr” means hour(s), “μL” or “μl” means microliter(s), “mL” or “ml” means milliliter(s), “L” or “l” means liter(s), “m” is meter, “nm” means nanometer(s), “mm” means millimeter(s), “cm” means centimeter(s), “μm” means micrometer(s), “mM” means millimolar, “M” means molar, “mmol” means millimole(s), “μmole” means micromole(s), “g” means gram(s), “μg” means microgram(s), “mg” means milligram(s), “kg” is kilogram, “rpm” means revolutions per minute, “C” is Centigrade, “ppm” means parts per million, “cP” is centipoise, “g/l” means grams per liter, “SSU” is Saybolt Universal Viscosity in Seconds, “wt %” is weight %.

General Methods:

Saccharification Enzymes

Accellerase® 1500 (A1500) and Multifect® Xylanase are obtained from Danisco U.S. Inc., Genencor, International (Rochester, N.Y.).

Cellulase and Hemicellulase Production Strain

Strain 229: A Trichoderma reesei strain, derived from RL-P37 (Sheir-Neiss and Montenecourt, 1984, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 20:46-53) through mutagenesis and selection for high cellulase production, was co-transformed with the β-glucosidase expression cassette (cbh1 promoter, T. reesei β-glucosidase) gene, cbh1 terminator, and amdS marker), and the endoxylanase expression cassette (cbh1 promoter, T. reesei xyn3, and cbh1 terminator) using PEG mediated transformation (Penttila et al., 1987, Gene 61(2):155-64). Numerous transformants were isolated and examined for β-glucosidase and endoxylanase production. One transformant, referred to as T. reesei strain #229, was used in certain studies described herein. Strain H3A: T. reesei strain #229 was co-transformed with the β-xylosidase Fv3A expression cassette (cbh1 promoter, Fv3A gene, cbh1 terminator, and alsR marker), the β-xylosidase Fv43D expression cassette (egl1 promoter, Fv43D gene, native Fv43D terminator), and the Fv51A α-arabinofuranosidase expression cassette (egl1 promoter, Fv51A gene, Fv51A native terminator) using electroporation. Transformants were selected on Vogels agar plates containing chlorimuron ethyl. Numerous transformants were isolated and examined for β-xylosidase and L-α-arabinofuranosidase production. T. reesei integrated expression strain H3A, which recombinantly expresses T. reesei β-glucosidase 1, T. reesei xyn3, Fv3A, Fv51A, and Fv43D was isolated.”

Extra cellular protein produced during fermentation of strain H3A was separated from the cell mass by centrifugation, concentrated by membrane-ultrafiltration through a Millipore 10 kD molecular cut off weight membrane and pH adjusted to 4.8. Total protein was determined using a modified Biuret method as modified by Weichselbaum and Gornall using Bovine Serum Albumin as a calibrator (Weichselbaum, 1960, Amer. J. Clin. Path. 16:40; Gornall et al., 1949 J. Biol. Chem 177:752). This H3A extracellular protein preparation, called herein H3A protein, was used as a combination cellulase and hemicellulase preparation effecting complex carbohydrate hydrolysis during SSF.

Biocatalyst and Inoculum Preparation

Origin of the Zymomonas mobilis Strains for Fermentation

A lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate fermentation broth may be made using alternative biocatalysts. Exemplary strains are are described below. As an alternative, strain ZW658, deposited as ATCC #PTA-7858, may be used to produce a lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate fermentation broth for processing.

Zymomonas mobilis strain ZW705 was produced from strain ZW801-4 by the methods detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,247,208, which is herein incorporated by reference, as briefly restated here. Cultures of Z. mobilis strain ZW801-4 were grown under conditions of stress as follows. ZW801-4 is a recombinant xylose-utilizing strain of Z. mobilis that was described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,741,119, which is herein incorporated by reference. Strain ZW801-4 was derived from strain ZW800, which was derived from strain ZW658, all as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,741,119. ZW658 was constructed by integrating two operons, PgapxylAB and Pgaptaltkt, containing four xylose-utilizing genes encoding xylose isomerase, xylulokinase, transaldolase and transketolase, into the genome of ZW1 (ATCC #31821) via sequential transposition events, and followed by adaptation on selective media containing xylose. ZW658 was deposited as ATCC #PTA-7858. In ZW658, the gene encoding glucose-fructose oxidoreductase was insertionally-inactivated using host-mediated, double-crossover, homologous recombination and spectinomycin resistance as a selectable marker to create ZW800. The spectinomycin resistance marker, which was bounded by loxP sites, was removed by site specific recombination using Cre recombinase to create ZW801-4.

A continuous culture of ZW801-4 was run in 250 ml stirred, pH and temperature controlled fermentors (Sixfors; Bottmingen, Switzerland). The basal medium for fermentation was 5 g/L yeast extract, 15 mM ammonium phosphate, 1 g/L magnesium sulfate, 10 mM sorbitol, 50 g/L xylose and 50 g/L glucose. Adaptation to growth in the presence of high concentrations of acetate and ammonia was effected by gradually increasing the concentration of ammonium acetate added to the above continuous culture media while maintaining an established growth rate as measured by the specific dilution rate over a period of 97 days. Ammonium acetate was increased to a concentration of 160 mM. Further increases in ammonium ion concentration were achieved by addition of ammonium phosphate to a final total ammonium ion concentration of 210 mM by the end of 139 days of continuous culture. Strain ZW705 was isolated from the adapted population by plating to single colonies and amplification of one chosen colony.

Strain AR3 7-31 was produced from strain ZW705 by further adaptation for growth in corn cob hydrolysate medium as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,476,048, which is incorporated herein by reference. ZW705 was grown in a turbidostat (U.S. Pat. No. 6,686,194; Heurisko USA, Inc. Newark, Del.), which is a continuous flow culture device where the concentration of cells in the culture was kept constant by controlling the flow of medium into the culture, such that the turbidity of the culture was kept within specified narrow limits. Two media were available to the growing culture in the continuous culture device, a resting medium (Medium A) and a challenge medium (Medium B). A culture was grown on resting medium in a growth chamber to a turbidity set point and then was diluted at a dilution rate set to maintain that cell density. Dilution was performed by adding media at a defined volume once every 10 minutes. When the turbidostat entered a media challenge mode, the choice of adding challenge medium or resting medium was made based on the rate of return to the set point after the previous media addition. The steady state concentration of medium in the growth chamber was a mix of Medium A and Medium B, with the proportions of the two media dependent upon the rate of draw from each medium that allowed maintenance of the set cell density at the set dilution rate. A sample of cells representative of the population in the growth chamber was recovered from the outflow of the turbidostat (in a trap chamber) at weekly intervals. The cell sample was grown once in MRM3G6 medium and saved as a glycerol stock at −80° C.

ZW705 was grown to an arbitrary turbidity set point that dictated that the culture use all of the glucose and approximately half of the xylose present in the incoming media to meet the set point cell density at the set dilution rate. Using resting medium that was 50% HYAc/YE and 50% MRM3G6.5X4.5NH₄Ac12.3 and challenge medium that was HYAc/YE. A strain isolated after 3 weeks was used in another round of turbidostat adaptation using HYAc/YE as the resting medium and HYAc/YE+9 weight % ethanol as the challenge medium. Strain AR3 7-31 was isolated after 2 weeks and was characterized as a strain with improved xylose and glucose utilization, as well as improved ethanol production, in hydrolysate medium. By sequence analysis, AR3 7-31 was found to have a mutation in the Zymomonas mobilis genome ORF encoding a protein having characteristics of a membrane transport protein, and annotated as encoding a fusaric acid resistance protein.

Media

-   -   MRM3 contains per liter: yeast extract (10 g), KH₂PO₄ (2 g) and         MgSO₄.7H₂O (1 g)     -   MRM3G6 contains is MRM3 containing 60 g/L glucose     -   MRM3G6.5X4.5NH₄Ac12.3 is MRM3 containing 65 g/L glucose, 45 g/L         xylose, 12.3 g/L ammonium acetate     -   HYAc/YE contains cob hydrolysate from which solids were removed         by centrifugation and that was filter sterilized containing 68         g/L glucose, 46 g/L xylose and 5 g/L acetate, supplemented with         6.2 g/L ammonium acetate and 0.5% yeast extract, adjusted to         pH5.8.         Lignocellulosic Biomass Processing and Fermentation

Corn stover is milled to ⅜″ (0.95 cm). Pretreatment is at 140° C. with 14% NH₃ and 65% solids for 60 min. Saccharification is at 47° C., pH 5.3, with 7.8 mg/g glucan+xylan of an enzyme consortium, for 96 hr. Saccharification enzymes are a mix of cellulases and hemicellulases expressed in a Trichoderma reesei strain H3A as described above. The resulting hydrolysate is used in fermentation. 10 mM sorbitol is added to the hydrolysate making the fermentation medium, and the pH is adjusted to 5.8.

For the seed, first frozen strain Zymomonas mobilis AR3 7-31 stock is grown in MRM3G6 (10 g/L BBL yeast extract, 2 g/L KH₂PO₄, 1 g/L MgSO₄*7H₂O, 60 g/L glucose) at 33° C., without shaking for 8 hr as a revival culture. MRM3G10 medium (same as MRM3G6 but with 100 g/L glucose) is inoculated with revival culture, and incubated at 33° C. with shaking for 14-16 hr. Growth is to an OD₆₀₀ between 1.5 and 3.1. The entire culture is used to inoculate a seed fermenter to an initial OD₆₀₀ of approximately 0.05.

The seed fermentation is carried out in 10 g/L yeast extract, 2 g/L KH₂PO₄, 5 g/L MgSO₄*7H₂O, 10 mM sorbitol, and 150 g/L glucose. Seed fermentation is performed at 33° C. and pH 5.5. Seed is harvested after first observation of glucose reduction to less than 50 g/L, with glucose measured by using a YSI 2700 SELECT™ Biochemistry Analyzer (YSI Life Sciences; Yellow Springs, Ohio).

The seed is added to the hydrolysate medium in the fermenter. Fermentations are carried out at 30° C.-33° C. for 48-72 hr.

Lignocellulosic Syrup

The fermentation broth is distilled to recover ethanol and the remaining whole stillage is filtered. The liquid fraction is passed through evaporators removing overhead water, and producing a syrup.

Example 1 Production of Limestone Pellets from Ground Limestone and Lignocellulosic Syrup

Raw limestone mined from a quarry in Weeping Water, Nebr. is ground into a fine powder and pneumatically fed into a rotary drum. Syrup produced from a lignocellulosic biomass ethanol production process (see General Methods) is sprayed into the drum filled with the ground limestone as it is rotated. Batches are prepared using syrup as 2 to 10 wt % of the total weight of ground limestone and syrup. The resulting mixture is fed to a dryer and the resulting pellets are allowed to cool and harden. The limestone powder is held together in the resulting solid pellets, with little evidence of powdery material.

Example 2 Production of Gypsum Pellets from Ground Gypsum and Lignocellulosic Syrup

Raw gypsum mined from a quarry in Fort Dodge, Iowa is ground into a fine powder and pneumatically fed into a rotary drum. Syrup produced from a lignocellulosic biomass ethanol production process (see General Methods) is sprayed into the drum filled with ground gypsum as it is rotated. Batches are prepared using syrup as 2 to 10 wt % of the total weight of ground gypsum and syrup. The resulting mixture is fed to a dryer and the resulting pellets are allowed to cool and harden. The gypsum powder is held together in the resulting solid pellets, with little evidence of powdery material. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An agricultural composition comprising: a) a lignocellulosic syrup; and b) at least one soil conditioning material; wherein the syrup comprises: a) from about 40% to about 70% solids; b) from about 10 g/l to about 30 g/l of acetamide; and c) at least about 40 g/l of sugars; wherein the cellulosic syrup has a density of about 1 to about 2 g/cm3 and a viscosity of less than 500 SSU at 100° F. (38° C.).
 2. The agricultural composition of claim 1 wherein the syrup is a co-product of a process for the production of alcohol from a lignocellulosic biomass.
 3. The agricultural composition of claim 2 wherein the process for the production of alcohol from a cellulosic biomass uses ammonia for the pretreatment of the lignocellulosic biomass, and the syrup contains at least about 5 g/l of ammonia.
 4. The agricultural composition of claim 2 wherein the lignocellulosic biomass is selected from the group consisting of corn cobs, corn stover, grasses, wheat straw, barley straw, hay, rice straw, switchgrass, waste paper, sugar cane bagasse, sorghum plant material, soybean plant material, woody plants, vegetables, fruits, flowers, empty palm fruit bunch, and energy cane.
 5. The agricultural composition of claim 1 wherein the at least one soil conditioning material is selected from the group consisting of lime, gypsum, and combinations thereof.
 6. The agricultural composition of claim 1 wherein the at least one soil conditioning material is in the form of a powder.
 7. The agricultural composition of claim 1 wherein the syrup is between about 2% and about 20% of the composition, by weight.
 8. The agricultural composition of claim 1 wherein 10 the composition is in the form of pellets or granules.
 9. A process for the production of an agricultural composition comprising combining a lignocellulosic syrup with at least one soil conditioning material, wherein pellets or granules comprising the syrup and the conditioning material are produced, wherein the syrup comprises: a) from about 40% to about 70% solids; b) from about 10 g/l to about 30 g/l of acetamide; and c) at least about 40 g/l of sugars; wherein the cellulosic syrup has a density of about 1 to about 2 g/cm3 and a viscosity of less than 500 SSU at 100° F. (38° C.).
 10. The process of claim 9 wherein the soil conditioning material is lime, gypsum or a combination thereof.
 11. The process of claim 9 wherein the soil conditioning material is lime, gypsum, or a combination thereof.
 12. The process of claim 9 wherein the syrup is sprayed over the soil conditioning material in a rotating drum.
 13. The process of claim 9 wherein the pellets or granules are dried.
 14. The process of claim 9 wherein the lignocellulosic syrup and the soil conditioning material are combined in a ratio that is between about 1:50 and about 1:5.
 15. A method for conditioning soil comprising applying the agricultural composition of claim 1 to the soil. 